Container with contents stabilizing means



June 30, 1964 B. STALLARD CONTAINER WITH CONTENTS STABILZING MEANS Filed Sept. 9. 1960 Me/v/h B. Sta/lam IN VE N TOR.

United States Patent 3,139,212 CONTAINER WITH CGNTENTS STABILIZING MEANS Melvin B. Stallard, Miles City, Month, assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Material Stabilizers, Ind, Miles City, Mont, a corporation of Montana Filed Sept. 9, 1960, Ser. No. 54,938 4 Claims. (Cl. 22tl--93) The present invention generally relates to a device for use in combination with a container and more particularly to such a device that will stabilize the material in the container and prevent movement thereof by reducing the volume of the interior of the container to prevent free movement of the material therein.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a stabilizer for material within a container which material is subject to movement and is of a solid nature whereby the stabilizer will prevent such movement and reduce elfectively the interior volume of the container so that the material cannot movefreely in the container after the material has beein partially consumed or removed from the container.

A further important object of the present invention is to provide a material stabilizer for attachment to the removable top of a container and generally including a movable plate which engages the surface of the material in the container together with spring means connected to the movable plate for resiliently urging the plate towards the material to stabilize the material.

Still another feature of the present invention isto provide a material stabilizer of the character described in which the movable plate is guided by a centrally dis posed guide pin thus retaining the plate laterally stationary.

Still another important object of the present invention is to provide a material stabilizer which is quite simple in construction, easy to use, effective for its particular purposes and generally inexpensive to manufacture.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference, being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a container employing the material stabilizer of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded group perspective view of the container and the cap or closure therefor illustrating the structural relationship of the material stabilizer to the closure; and

FIGURE 3 is a detailed sectional view of the container of FIGURE 1 illustrating the relationship of the stabilizer to the material in the container.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 10 generally designates the material stabilizer of the present invention which is incorporated into a con tainer generally designated by the numeral 12. I

The container 12 may be of any suitable size, configuration and may be constructed of any suitable material. The container includes a bottom 14 and an upstanding peripheral wall 16 integral therewith. The wall 16 is provided with a reduced upper end portion 18 forming a shoulder 20. Also, the upper end of the reduced portion 18' may be slightly inwardly flared as at 22. Provided for the container is also a closure cap generally designated by the numeral 24 which includes a top wall 26 and a depending peripheral rim or flange 28 adapted to telescope over the reduced upper end portion 18 of the Wall 16 with the lower edge of the flange 28 abutting the shoulder 20.

Any suitable means may be provided for retaining the 3,139,212 Patented June; 30, 1964 closure cap 24 in place for interlocking engagement with the wall 16. As illustrated, the reduced wall portion 18 is provided with a series of inclined recesses 30 while the depending flange 28 is provided with a plurality of inclined projections 32 for cooperation therewith for frictionally and releasably retaining the cap in position. It is pointed out that the closure .cap may be retained in position by any other suitable interlocking means including threaded means or any substantially positive frictional interlocking mechanism.

The material stabilizer 10 includes a depending centrally disposed guide pin 34 which is rigidly aliixed to the center of the top 26 by virtue of being riveted over as at 36 and having a shoulder 38 underlying the top wall 26 thus rigidly afiixing the central guide pin 34 to the top wall 26. The lower end of the pin 34 is also provided with an enlargement or riveted over end 40 and the length of the guide pin 34 is, of course, slightly less than the distance between the top wall 26 and the bottom 14. Slidable on the guide pin 34 is a plate 42 which in this instance is illustrated as being circular but which is of the same shape and substantially the same size as the interior of the container thus closely fitting the peripheral interior surfaces of the container. The plate 42 engages the flowable solid or granular material 44 within the container for stabilizing the same. Disposed intermediate the plate 42 and the top wall 26 is a coil compression spring 46 having only a single convolution or a very few convolutions so that only a minimum vertical space will be occupied by the spring 46 when it is completely collapsed such as when the container is filled with material. The spring 46 is attached to the plate 42 as at 48 and is attached to the top wall 26 at point 50 by any suitable means such as welding or the like. Thus, the spring 46 serves to maintain the plate 42 urged downwardly against the granular material 44 in the container thus preventing the material from shifting in the container.

As will be readily apparent, the present invention diminishes the area occupied by any granular, shredded material or the like or also works elfectively for small parts or pieces of any substance. The device is made of any suitable size and of any suitable material and may be employed effectively as a cover for a snufi container which contains the remaining snuff, regardless of how small the quantity, in a moist and packed condition but yet enables the contents to be easily removed in the usual manner. It is desirable to maintain snuff in a packed condition which will maintain the humidity thereof rather than having the snulf loosely disposed in the container for free movement therein while being carried.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. The combination of a container having a peripheral wall and a removable cover, and means for stabilizing the contents of said container, said means comprising an upright guiding pin disposed centrally in said container and rigidly secured at its upper end to said cover, a contents engaging pressure plate comprising a fiat disc movable vertically in said container and provided at the center thereof with an aperture slidably receiving said pin, said disc being substantially coextensive with the crosssectional area of the interior of said container, and a compression spring provided in the container coaxially with 3 said pin, one end of said spring being secured to the underside of said cover and its other end engaging the upper surface of said disc whereby to urge the latter downwardly along said pin in the container.

2. The device as defined in claim 1 together with an enlarged head provided at the lower end of said pin to limit downward movement of said disc thereon under the bias of said spring.

3. A contents stabilizing attachment for a container having a removable cover provided with a central aperture, said attachment comprising an upright pin provided adjacent its upper end with a shoulder adapted to abut the underside of a container cover with a portion of the pin above said shoulder adapted to project upwardly through a central aperture in the stated cover and to be peened over the upper surface of the stated cover whereby-to rigidly secure said pin to the cover, a contents engaging pressure plate comprising a fiat disc movable toward and away from said shoulder on said pin and provided at the center thereof with an aperture slidably receiving the pin, and a compression spring coaxially encircling said pin, one end of said spring being secured 4 to the upper surface of said disc and its other end being adapted to be secured to the underside of the stated cover, whereby to urge the disc along said pin in a direction downwardly from said shoulder.

4. The device as defined in claim 3 together with an enlarged head provided at the lower end of said pin to limit downward movement of said disc thereon under the bias of said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 493,955 Wheat Mar. 21, 1893 1,138,562 Herboldt May 4, 1915 1,554,066 Boros Sept. 15, 1925 1,965,547 Harris July 3, 1934 v FOREIGN PATENTS 663,961 Great Britain Jan. 2, 1952 552,616 Italy Dec. 10, 1956 714,017 Great Britain Aug. 18, 1954 55,936 Germany Aug. 12, 1890 

3. A CONTENTS STABILIZING ATTACHMENT FOR A CONTAINER HAVING A REMOVABLE COVER PROVIDED WITH A CENTRAL APERTURE, SAID ATTACHMENT COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT PIN PROVIDED ADJACENT ITS UPPER END WITH A SHOULDER ADAPTED TO ABUT THE UNDERSIDE OF A CONTAINER COVER WITH A PORTION OF THE PIN ABOVE SAID SHOULDER ADAPTED TO PROJECT UPWARDLY THROUGH A CENTRAL APERTURE IN THE STATED COVER AND TO BE PEENED OVER THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE STATED COVER WHEREBY TO RIGIDLY SECURE SAID PIN TO THE COVER, A CONTENTS ENGAGING PRESSURE PLATE COMPRISING A FLAT DISC MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID SHOULDER ON SAID PIN AND PROCEIVING THE PIN, AND A COMPRESSION SPRING COAXIALLY ENCIRCLING THE PIN, ONE END OF SAID SPRING BEING SECURED TO THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID DISC AND ITS OTHER END BEING ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO THE UNDERSIDE OF THE STATED COVER, WHEREBY TO URGE THE DISC ALONG SAID PIN IN A DIRECTION DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID SHOULDER. 